In this photo provided by the Indian Navy on Jan 27, 2024, a view of the oil tanker Marlin Luanda on fire after an attack, in the Gulf of Aden. (PHOTO / AP)

SANAA — Yemen's Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday that his armed group would continue attacking and sinking US and British ships in the Red Sea.

"I promise more military surprises and unexpected attacks in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea," the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV channel quoted him as saying. "The US, British enemies' airstrikes against the capital Sanaa will not affect us, nor our military capabilities."

The Houthi group has maintained control over significant portions of northern Yemen since the onset of the Yemeni civil war in late 2014

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He added that his armed group had attacked 54 commercial cargo vessels, using a total of 384 missiles and drones since November last year.

The US-British coalition has launched dozens of airstrikes against Houthi targets in an effort to deter the group. However, the Houthis have escalated their strikes by targeting more commercial vessels as well as US and British navy ships.

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The Houthi group has maintained control over significant portions of northern Yemen since the onset of the Yemeni civil war in late 2014.